Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has told Steven Gerrard that the best years of his career still lie in front of him after claiming that the 10th anniversary of the midfielder's Premier League debut today is merely a milestone on the route to him becoming an even more influential player at Anfield.
The 28-year-old, who will captain Liverpool against West Ham on Monday night, took his first steps in the Premier League as an 89th-minute replacement for Vegard Heggem during the 2-0 win over Blackburn on Nov 29, 1998.
Gerrard has since become one of the most celebrated players in Liverpool history and Benitez believes there is more to come.
Benitez said: "Stevie is still young and 28 is the best age for a player. He can only improve because he will read the game better as he gets older. I don't know how long he will be as strong as he is, but if he can stay like this for three or four years, he will just get better and better."
Meanwhile, striker Fernando Torres faces his third hamstring injury lay-off of the season. Benitez has revealed that the Spaniard will be subjected to rigorous testing in an effort to resolve the problem.
He said: "Sometimes it is a problem with your back or how you walk, so you need to analyse everything. It's not a question of what the players do every day, but there may be one or two things that are important.
"We need to check all the things. I have a lot of confidence that we can find a solution sooner rather than later."
The 28-year-old, who will captain Liverpool against West Ham on Monday night, took his first steps in the Premier League as an 89th-minute replacement for Vegard Heggem during the 2-0 win over Blackburn on Nov 29, 1998.
Gerrard has since become one of the most celebrated players in Liverpool history and Benitez believes there is more to come.
Benitez said: "Stevie is still young and 28 is the best age for a player. He can only improve because he will read the game better as he gets older. I don't know how long he will be as strong as he is, but if he can stay like this for three or four years, he will just get better and better."
Meanwhile, striker Fernando Torres faces his third hamstring injury lay-off of the season. Benitez has revealed that the Spaniard will be subjected to rigorous testing in an effort to resolve the problem.
He said: "Sometimes it is a problem with your back or how you walk, so you need to analyse everything. It's not a question of what the players do every day, but there may be one or two things that are important.
"We need to check all the things. I have a lot of confidence that we can find a solution sooner rather than later."
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